The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-11-04
THE NATIONS ARMS.
Annual Report of the Secre-
tary of War.
AN EXTRAORDINARY FEAT.
Wild Beasts and Wild People
Ground to Death-Crying for
Bread-Captured and Shot.
AN EXTRAORDINARY FEAT
The Nations Ordnance.

WASHINGTON, November 3.-Briga-
dier-General Bennett, chief of ordnance.
has submitted his annual report to the
Secretary of War. 1t shows the total
expenditure of the bureau during the
fiscal year to be $1.507 ,652. During the
year 4, 100 rifles and carbines were man
ufactured at the National Armory.
General Bennett says: 1.-THE question
of reduced calibre for small arms is
now under consideration by the depart
msnt. An effective and simple maya
zine gun has become necessity. and
this bureau has, during many years,
endeavored through the boaros and
trials In the field, to settle on one that
would be satisfactory to the army, but
thus far without success. The depart
meut is, however seeking to reach such
result, and from the little that
can be learned from the magazine sys-
tenn abroad, am persuaded nothing is
to be gained at this iuncture by haste. "
The report says that owing to the fail
ure of Congress- to pass the regular ap-
preparation bill, the department has
effected but little during the past year
in the direction of providing guns, car
riages, powder, etc., for the coast de
tense, Under the head of rifle forging,
the report SAYS: Domestic manufac-
turers have at last triumphed over
their limitations, and have obtained
success in spite of inadequate facilities
On this subject, General Bennett says:
1T is believed to be the vital interest
of the whole country that such
liberal appropriation be made by
Congress from year to year, I'M
til our present utter restitution
as to modern guns be relieved, as
shall furnish the substantial encour-
agement and aid that cur steel industry
demands. AS step in this direction
| have asked in my annual estimate ior
an appropriation of $3.50, 900 for the
procurement of forgings for eight and
ten-inch steel guns. This sum should
procure steel for about fifty eight-inch
guns and about forty ten inch guns,
and to allow necessary time to erect a
necessary plant, this appropriation
should be made until expended. Rams
and torpedoes and dynamite guns are
powerful auxllliaries in defense. but
the war conditions yet obtaining snail
not dispense with the hard hammering
of heavy shot, moving with high
velocity, because these auxililarles
themselves need protection, and OF the
most preferred character. Dynamite
guns, with limited range, cannot be
left to the mercy of the much longer
reaching guns OF the enemy's ships.
Attacking ships must be kept at dis
lance by heavy guns and long-range
mortars, the comparatively low cost
of mortars enabling US to compensate
by numbers for any lack Of accuracy OF
fire. Heavy cannon are, therefore,
necessity, and must be provided, and
our unprotected coasts demand that
they be provided speedily" The report
SAYS: The dynamite torpedo gun Will
be fairly perfected, and it is recon-
mended that a 12-inch gun be pur-
chased for exhaustive trials, to
determine its full capacity and
fitness for coast defense. Favorable
mention is also made OF Stevens
dynamite shell. It is said that with the
exception of 1000 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
inch barrel field guns just issued to the
service. there is in store only the old
guns, of limited power,
system twenty-five
wears old and now obsolete, while there
are no servicable carriages. An esti-
mate of $225, 900 is accordingly sub
mitted .or the purchase Of sixty COM
pletely equipped steel guns. Balilstlc
tests of the S-inch gun, it is said, show
higher effective energy than any gun
OF any like calibre eXtant."